Knowing the number

a study on the use of Assistive Technology and adapted materials by blind and/or low vision students

Abstract

The Inclusive Education in Brazil guarantees equal conditions for school enrollment for all students. In this contexto, blindness and low vision are some of the disabilities found in the school reality This article presents an excerpt from a doctoral thesis with the objective of reflecting on the process of building initial mathematical concepts using Assistive Technology (AT) and materials adapted by blind and/or low vision students. To contemplate this objective, support is sought in the concepts of AT, in the acquisition of numbers and aspects of visual impairment. From a qualitative approach, the research was methodologically based on Discursive Textual Analysis, through observations and interventions carried out in the Specialized Educational Service with five elementary school students, two blind students and three with low vision. Different activities performed by research participants in understanding mathematical concepts are reported, involving counting and recognizing quantities. With the research results, it can be inferred in relation to the construction of the concept of number by the visually impaired child, it is possible to report that it has the same potentials as a sighted child. However, it is essential to use AT and adapted materials to make this concept effective.